Lake Eyre National Park, South Australia - Tourism Australia Add Share The vast expanse of shimmering dry white salt lake is matched only by the impossibly blue vast desert sky. Lake Eyre, in the Lake Eyre National Park around 700 kilometres north of Adelaide, is an extraordinary oasis in the harsh South Australian outback. The Lake Eyre Basin covers an astonishing 1 million square kilometres and crosses the borders of South Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland. Lake Eyre itself, which is actually two lakes connected by a channel, is 144 km long and 77 km wide. It's the largest salt lake in Australia, but one that is rarely filled with water. The Lake Eyre region is also the driest and lowest geographical point in Australia. The traditional owners of the Lake Eyre region, the Arabana people, have lived in the Lake Eyre Basin for thousands of years. The lake continues to be an important cultural site for Aboriginal people. Lake Eyre was named after explorer Edward John Eyre, the first European to see it in 1840. In the mid-1880s, many new settlers began farming in the area.

One of these farms, Anna Creek, is now the largest cattle property in Australia. Lake Eyre's water levels mainly depend on the annual monsoon and how much rain falls in the lake's catchment in Queensland and the Northern Territory . The strength of the tropical monsoon determines if water reaches the lake and how much water it will receive. Water from these three state catchment areas covers the lake about once every eight years. The lake has only filled to capacity three times in the last 160 years. When the lake floods, it creates an amazing natural spectacle. The air is filled with the sound and sight of huge numbers of waterbirds which flock to the area. The usually stark landscape comes alive with the rich colours of wildflowers and a sea of green foliage. The different levels of salty water can be seen as remarkable swirling current patterns which stretch as far as the eye can see. As the lake dries up and the water evaporates, its salinity increases and it often appears to turn pink. When empty, the lake becomes a giant salt pan, with white crystals reflecting the sunlight. The best place to view the lake from land is from Halligan Bay. After the rains, you can also enjoy the lake by boat or kayak.

By far the best way to appreciate the vast lake is from the air. Several local tour operators run sightseeing flights over the lake, particularly when it is flooded. There are several other salt lakes in the area, some of which are heritage-listed for their rare fossils. Lake Eyre National Park is located 60km east of William Creek off the Oodnadatta Track . The track is suitable for 4WD vehicles and experienced drivers only. Extra supplies of fuel, food and water should be taken. Roads can be closed due to flooding. The best time to visit is April to October. From the Lake Eyre National Park you could also visit the famed outback town of Oodnadatta; the opal town of Coober Pedy , or the Simpson Desert . More Holiday Ideas See what else there is near here to inspire your holiday planning.

Guide to Flinders Ranges South Australia's outback comes to life as water floods into Lake Eyre - ABC Rural - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) South Australia's outback comes to life as water floods into Lake Eyre By Rural Reporter Lauren Waldhuter Lauren Waldhuter Updated January 29, 2015 09:58:26 Map: Marree 5733 Water flowing into South Australia's usually dry inland sea, Kati-Thanda Lake Eyre, is breathing new life into the harsh outback landscape. Recent heavy rainfall in the state's far north has allowed dry desert rivers to run, causing the biggest influx of water into the lake since 2011. Along the lake's northern shore sits Kalamurina Wildlife Sanctuary, owned by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC), which contains parts of the key river systems that carry water to the lake - the Warburton and Kallakoopah Creeks and the Macumba River AWC's chief executive Atticus Fleming said the landscape's rapid transformation is a spectacular sight.

"Our staff at Kalamurina have been up in the helicopter so they can see the vast expanse of water that is spreading out and covering Lake Eyre. "You've got these beautiful floodwaters that are surrounded by desert and that's a spectacular sight. "What those waters are bringing is new life. So already we are seeing the vegetation responding to these floodwaters and with that we see bird life come in and even the small threatened mammals. Our staff are reporting more activity." Photo: Heavy rainfall has caused once dry outback rivers to run again breathing new life into this harsh landscape. (Courtesy: Trevor Wright) Outback tourism boom The far north region of South Australia is now set to benefit from a rapid response from tourists as well. Trevor Wright, a local pilot based at William Creek who flies visitors over Lake Eyre, said much like the landscape, the tourism season was also experiencing an awakening. "We're getting quite a few phone calls. We've already had quite a few pilots with aircraft wanting to come up and see the water that is coming into the lake.

"This morning we had one guy out of Melbourne who said 'I'm getting on the plane this afternoon and flying up here'." Job numbers in the tiny town of William Creek, 821 kilometres north of Adelaide, increase from about six to 36 during the peak tourism season. Mr Wright said having water in Lake Eyre is only a good thing for the community. "The lake's always spectacular," he said. "From a visual point of view it's definitely worth coming and having a look at. It never bores you, that's for sure." Lake Eyre Facts Lake Eyre Facts 5 Current Lake Eyre Water Levels All the most sought-after Lake Eyre Facts Lake Eyre is the largest salt lake in Australia and a place that captures the imagination of many people. Don’t forget to visit our page on Lake Eyre National Park and our Lake Eyre Travel Advice page if you’re thinking about taking a trip to this remote part of Australia.

Facts and Figures: Here’s what everyone wants to know about Lake Eyre, like where it is, what it is, how big it is and how often does it fill up: Lake Eyre is Australia’s largest salt lake It’s located 647 km north east of Adelaide, in the state of South Australia Lake Eyre is actually comprised of 2 lakes: Lake Eyre North and Lake Eyre South The lakes are connected by the Goyder Channel, which is 15 km long Together, both lakes are 144km long and 77km wide Lake Eyre is the lowest point below sea level on the Australian mainland (15.2m below sea level) Lake Eyre is the focal point of Australia’s second largest drainage system, the Lake Eyre Basin The Lake Eyre Basin covers over 1 million square kilometres The Lake was named after explorer Edward John Eyre, the first European to see it in 1840 Lake Eyre experiences a small (1.5 m) flood every 3 years, a large (4 m) flood every 10 years and fills an average of only four times each century!

Access There are a few things that you’ll need to know if you want to visit. Lake Eyre can be reached via the Oodnadatta Track . There are three places to see it: At Lake Eyre South, easy access from the Oodnadatta Track via pull in bay Near William Creek via the Halligan Bay Track (rough 4WD only track) Near Marree via Muloorina Station and the Level Post Bay Track (rough 4WD only track) Lake Eyre travel advice and safety tips can be found on this page. History: One interesting fact about the Lake is that it’s been an important site for Arabunna and other Aboriginal people for several thousand years. Aboriginal people continue to consider the lake an important cultural site and are involved in its management today. Even though Lake Eyre is one of the driest places in Australia, the waterways and mound springs encouraged European settlement in the 1860s. Pastoralists had established many cattle stations in the area by the mid 1880s, although many of these were abandoned during a drought in the 1890s and early 1900s.

The largest cattle station in Australia, Anna Creek, is located on the south-eastern side of Lake Eyre. The Lake Eyre National Park was established in 1985, whilst the Elliot Price Conservation Area was donated by Elliot Price of Muloorina Station in 1967. There is no public access to this conservation area. Lake Eyre Water Levels Lake Eyre’s water levels mainly depend on the annual monsoon and how much rain falls in the lake’s catchment in Queensland and the Northern Territory. The water entering Lake Eyre comes mostly from the rivers from the northeast (in Queensland), which flow down from the Channel Country. A smaller amount of water comes down from Northern Territory from the Finke River catchment, via the Macumba River. Generally, it takes around 6-8 weeks for water from the Channel Country to reach the lake. Lesser amounts of water come from local rainfall. Local rainfall filled the lake in 1984 and 1989. However, it is the strength of the tropical monsoon that determines if water reaches the lake and how much water it will receive. The deepest water level ever recorded in the lake was 6 metres, in 1974.

One of the more disturbing facts is that as water fills the lake, the salinity increases and causes a massive fish kill. (Yes, there are about 6 or 7 species of fish which live in the lake!). Once the lake is full, however, it’s no more salty than the sea. As the lake dries up and the wter evaporates, its salinity increases again. During this time Lake Eyre often appears to turn ‘pink’. This is in fact caused by a pigment found within an algae species that lives in the lake. Current Lake Eyre Water Levels In early 2010, massive summer rains in Queensland saw the Diamantina, Georgina and Cooper Creeks flood into the Lake Eyre Basin. This was the first time that Cooper Creek had reached Lake Eyre since 1990. Over winter in 2010, hundred of thousands of pelicans, gulls, avocets and other waterbirds migrated to the area and began breeding. The lake filled by mid-year, and saw many tourists visiting to see this once-in-a-lifetime event.

More recently, heavy rain in summer 2011 (Jan-March) has filled the southern end of the lake, and also caused many of the creeks in the north-east to flow into the lake once more. The satellite photo above shows water from Coopers Creek flowing down into Madigan’s Bay in winter 2010. Good follow-up rains in 2011 and early 2012 throughout the catchment area meant that water levels in the lake remained high. However, over autumn and winter 2012, much of the water in the lake has now evapourated. As of November 2012, there is less than 5% coverage of Lake Eyre by water. Lake Eyre | lake, Australia | Britannica.com Lake Eyre Alternative Title: Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre Related Topics Cooper Creek Lake Eyre, also called Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre, great salt lake in central South Australia , with a total area of 4,281 square miles (11,088 square km).

It lies in the southwestern corner of the Great Artesian Basin , a closed inland basin about 440,150 square miles (1,140,000 square km) in area that is drained only by intermittent streams. Normally dry but susceptible to occasional flooding, the lake constitutes the lowest point on the Australian continent. Lake Eyre was first sighted by a European in 1840—English explorer and British colonial official Edward John Eyre , after whom it was named. The lake’s extent had been determined by the 1870s. Lake Eyre South, South Australia. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Lake Eyre, the lowest part of which lies about 50 feet (15 metres) below sea level, consists of two sections, Lake Eyre North and Lake Eyre South. The sections, which together span an area 89.5 miles (144 km) long and 47.8 miles (77 km) wide, are joined by the narrow Goyder Channel.

Evidence from the western side of Lake Eyre strongly suggests that the present saline depression resulted from a downfaulting in Earth’s surface about 30,000 years ago, which blocked off an earlier outlet to the sea. Water reaching the lake now evaporates very rapidly, and the surface of the lake bed has a thin crust of salt deposited by water that has evaporated. Lake Eyre is normally dry; it fills completely only an average of twice in a century, but partial, minor fillings happen much more often. When completely filled (as in 1950, 1974, and 1984), the lake takes about two years to dry up again. Lake Eyre is in a region of very low and intermittent rainfall amounting to less than 5 inches (125 mm) annually. The lake is fed by a vast internal continental drainage basin , but evaporation rates in the region are so high that most of the rivers in the basin dry up before reaching the lake. Thus, the waters of the Diamantina and other rivers can feed the lake only when they are in flood after heavy rains.

Similar Topics Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre Facts - Visit Australia's largest salt lake Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre Facts Where does the water come from? The main tributaries into the lake are the rivers in south-west Queensland, the Diamantina and Georgina river systems and Cooper Creek. Although these rivers flow quite frequently, they hardly reach Lake Eyre everytime they carry water. High evaporation, and the fact that the rivers fill many channels along their way to the lake, make it hard to predict whether or not they'll reach their final destination. Cooper Creek usually terminates at the Coongie lakes wetlands. After one of the most devastating floods in 1990, Cooper Creek reached the lake for the first time in more than 20 years. It took another 20 years until the Cooper made it to the lake again. Western tributaries are the Neales and Macumba rivers. In 1984 and 1989 the western tributaries filled Lake Eyre South within a few days. Finally, the water overflowed to Lake Eyre North. This is recorded a very rare event, as usually the northern lake fills first, and overflows the southern part.

It is a fact that Kati Thanda had only filled to its full capacity three or four times within the last 150 years. Of course, minor fillings are recorded every couple of years. How much water is in the lakes can be only judged from the air. Satellite images give fairly clear information about water levels in the lake. Remember, this is such a remote area, and public access is only through a few tracks departing from the Oodnadatta Track. You can't just drive out and see if the lake holds water on a Sunday afternoon :). Any news of water in the lake gets locals, travellers and tour operators most excited. It is a well deserved increase of popularity and business in this remote area. Local air charters to fly over Lake Eyre are available from Marree and William Creek. If you ever travelled along the Oodnadatta Track and detoured to Lake Eyre, you know this is a harsh and dry land. Beautiful, nevertheless. Recent water events 2010 - 2012 After major floodings in western Queensland early 2010 there is another flow into Lake Eyre North. Local rain in the area put some water into the southern lake.

Click here to check the current status of water levels. Update November 2010: Now that summer has arrived to the Australian Outback evaporation becomes greater than water inflow. Warburton Creek is a trickle, the flow into the lake is going to stop soon. Cooper Creek is still cutting the Birdsville track and flowing into Madigan Gulf. January 2011: Evaporation is high, right now there is less than 35% water coverage. However, the rivers feeding Lake Eyre have still water, and rain in Qld will probably bring more water down the Cooper. At the end of the month the ferry stopped its operation, you can now cross Cooper Creek on the Birdville Track. Update March 2011: More rain drenched the northeast of South Australia and southwest Queensland, resulting in rising water levels in Lake Eyre. Winter 2011 saw even more water in the lake than 2010. Update February 2012: L. Eyre is nearly dry, there is only about 5% water remaining. The latest floods in southeast Queensland won't have much impact on the water levels in the lake.

Update March 2016: The lake is thinly covered with water, the water levels in Belt Bay are rising. I will post updates when major changes happen. You can always use the above link to check if there is any water flowing into the lake. Advertisement Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park Important Visitor Information L. Eyre National Park covers an area of 13,000 km². It is a stark wilderness, an ancient landscape that is very hard to access. Vegetation in this part of the Australian Outback is usually sparse. Creeks are lined with saltbush and acacias. However, vegetation can burst into a blaze of fresh green and wildflowers after local rains. It is also amazing to see large flocks of water birds migrating to the lake once there is some water. I always wonder how the birds "smell" the water! How to get there? Access to the lake and the national park is either from Marree or William Creek. Near Curdimurka, the Oodnadatta Track comes very close to the shores of Lake Eyre South. There is a car park where you can catch a glimpse of the lake.

You are not allowed to walk out to the lake from here as this is station property. Getting to Lake Eyre North Level Post Bay Track is a public access route from Marree to Muloorina homestead and further to the shores of the northern lake. Camping is not allowed on the shore, but there is a campground at Muloorina water bore. The total distance from Marree to the lake is 100 km. About 20 km past Muloorina you reach the shores of Lake Eyre South, and travel along Goyders Channel to the northern lake. Halligan Bay Track is the second public access route to the lake starting 7km south of William Creek. This is a 64 km track via Armistice Bore and ABC Bay to Halligan Bay. There is a basic campground with toilets. Permits Visiting Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park requires a desert park pass, or an entry / camping permit. Both can be obtained in Marree and William Creek. If you plan to visit multiple national parks in the South Australian Outback, it is worth to purchase a desert park pass which is valid for one year.

The pass comes with a package of maps and a booklet with valuable information about safe travelling in the Outback, and information about flora and fauna in each park. Safety Advice Please be aware that the routes to the shores of Lake Eyre cannot be compared with travelling along the Oodnadatta Track. You are going into very remote country, and track conditions can be quite challenging. A 4WD vehicle with high clearance is required, and you should know the car, know how to use the 4WD properly when conditions get rough. Camper trailers are not recommended, don't even think of towing a caravan to the lake's shores! Take a HF radio or satellite phone with you, or at least a UHF radio. Contact William Creek via UHF Channel 4 and Marree via Channel 7 when you get in trouble. Carry plenty of water, and avoid these tracks during the summer months. As always: Never leave your vehicle when you are in trouble. Someone will finally find you. Aerial view of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre with water Caution: Please do never drive on the lake surface. It is an offence, and it is dangerous.

Even if the surface looks firm and dry, you might get bogged in the mud if your car crashes through the salt crust (which is rather thin in places). Check Road Conditions Largest Waterbodies - Geoscience Australia Largest Waterbodies Gordon Dam, Tasmania. Photo courtesy Cam Botherway Australia is not well endowed with natural lakes containing plentiful supplies of water. Both rainfall and runoff can be highly variable across the continent and many rivers have dams containing large reservoirs constructed on them to meet water and power supply needs. The most significant water management project undertaken in Australia is the Snowy Mountains scheme which includes 16 large dams. The scheme diverts water from the Snowy and Eucumbene Rivers on the east of the Great Dividing Range through the Snowy Mountains to the Murray and Murrumbidgee River systems on the western side of the range. The water is used to generate electricity and for irrigation farming in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. The project, which took 25 years to complete, was undertaken by the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority . Another significant irrigation scheme dam is Lake Argyle on the Ord River in Western Australia.

Largest lakes by State/Territory These lakes are the largest waterbodies, whether natural or constructed. STATE/TERRITORY Flinders Ranges Lake Eyre Red Centre Australia outback tours Reviews Overview Savour the beauty, grandeur and isolation of Australia's heartland. A leisure journey following the historic pathways of Aborigines, explorers, pioneers, Afghan Camaleers, Overland Telegraph line and the Old Ghan railway line. inspect bubbling mounded springs releasing 2000 yr old water from the Great Artesian Basin embrace the surreal experience of setting foot on the lowest point in Australia, the salt encrusted Lake Eyre surround yourself with an unreachable horizon fusing with the sky take a walk in the contorted Flinders Ranges once described as “the bones of the earth laid bare”. explore one of the world’s geological wonders with picturesque gorges, valleys and panoramas at every turn reflect on a rich history of pioneering endeavour photograph grand river red gums bordering historic waterholes spot the beautiful but endangered Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby overnight at the isolated outpost of Oodnadatta at the end of the Oodnadatta Track.

pass through the largest cattle station on earth, the 6 million acre "Anna Creek" journey across panoramic break-away landscapes and painted deserts to quirky settlements spend a night underground in Coober Pedy, a cosmopolitan town set amidst a landscape of opal mining mullock heaps. Explore by foot, the great monolithic wonders of the red centre Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) and Kings Canyon (Watarrka) assimilating their geological creation, variation and intensity of colour throughout each day their cultural significance to the First Australians. Itinerary Pre departure administration and meet ‘n greet function in Adelaide. Day 1 Your journey begins with a leisurely drive through the picturesque Clare Valley, home of the Australian Rieslings, to the oldest settlement in the Flinders Ranges, at the foot of Mt Remarkable National Park. 40 small wineries are set around a string of charming historic villages. Here in 1848 Jesuit priests fled from religious and political persecution in Silesia to produce sacramental wines at Sevenhills. The poet C J Dennis also spent his boyhood in the region.

End your day roaming the village of Melrose named by explorer Edward John Eyre after Melrose in Scotland, or the foothills of Mt Remarkable. Time permitting, a 2 hr stroll through Alligator Gorge and its narrows. Accommodation tonight in a classic old, fully restored pub, the North Star Hotel. Day 2 Copper miners, pastoralists, brewers and millers opened up this region where you head for Wilpena Pound an iconic feature of the Flinders Ranges. The village of Quorn presents an evocative railway terrace streetscape of busier times, where classic movies have been filmed. Scenic bluffs and gorges remind us of the world of German/Australian artist, Hans Heysen, the long distance walking trail now named in his honour, meandering 1200 kms through the Flinders Ranges. Heysen described the ranges as “the bones of the earth laid bare”. Ruins of early settlements are scattered along the road. One, “Kanyaka” once ran 50,000 sheep and employed 70 families only to be devastated by drought and over stocking. Your home for two nights will be the Wilpena Pound Resort.

Day 3 A full day of Flinders Ranges experiences awaits you with a relaxed opening walk into the pound and short climb to the Wangarra Lookout. After lunch you’ll enjoy a scenic drive to the Bunyeroo and Brachina Gorges with frequent stops for spectacular viewing of the ranges and hidden valleys. Time to visit Aroona Valley and the ruins of a hut where Hans Heysen spent his days bringing inspiring vistas to canvas. Brachina Gorge is a superb geological showcase 1000 million years in the making, with sediment deposits compressed, lifted and folded to form mountains once far higher than those now witnessed, an eroded ancestral range. Day 4 You leave Wilpena Pound at a relaxed hour to explore the northern reaches of the Flinders, visiting a couple of roadside lookouts for spectacular panoramic views and the Appealinna Homestead Ruins, once occupied by a salty old character who specialised in innovative cattle duffing practices with his cow “Old Stockings”.

You’ll head along the eastern edge of the Trezona Range and view the “Great Wall of China” before enjoying morning tea with the new generational owners of a station set up 130 years ago by an Irish immigrant, providing fodder for bullock teams hauling copper ore from the nearby Blinman mines. Prepare for a memorable 4WD property tour high into the ranges and then onto the historic mining village of Blinman. After lunch you’ll pass through the Parachilna Gorge to the iconic outback pub, the Prairie Hotel, listed as one of Australia’s finest outback experiences. The gorge cuts through towering bluffs and rocky crags rearing upwards and backwards. The hotel is widely acclaimed for its "Flinders Feral Food" meals and a mixed grill of kangaroo, camel, goat and emu, highly recommended. Accommodation at the Prairie Hotel. Day 5 Edward John Eyre passed this way in the 1840’s climbing and naming Mt Deception. Pastoralists, miners, surveyors followed in the late 1850’s with John McDouall Stuart surveying many of the land holdings before his crossing of Australia.

Beltana became the headquarters of Thomas Elder’s empire of vast leasehold lands, flocks of sheep and camels used by the Afghan Cameleers and explorer Ernest Giles. Australia’s current camel population roaming the deserts now exceeds 600,000. Harsher salt bush and blue bush country now emerges and you’ll view the slag heaps and gorges of the open cut coal fields of Leigh Creek. The bitumen ends at the village of Lyndhurst, the gibber plains begin and the Strzelecki Track heads north-east for the Corner Country and Innamincka. The great northern railway was laid down in 1882 with a siding at Lyndhurst. You’ll arrive at Marree (Pop 80) a former base for Afghan cameleers and their camel trains, epic droving feats, journeys up the Birdsville Track. Here is the stepping off point for an excursion to the edge of the great salt encrusted Lake Eyre. The grandest old building in Marree, a shadow of its former self, is the two storey Marree Hotel. Accommodation for 2 nights at the Marree Hotel.

Day 6 The Lake Eyre basin extends into three states, and occupies 1/6th of the Australian continent, equal in size to the State of South Australia. At 1.3 million sq kms it is one of the biggest drainage systems in the world, much of its waters, when under flood, flowing down from Queensland. The usually dry lake is in fact an extensive salt sink, the lowest point in Australia at 15.2 m below sea level and having seen only three major fillings in 150 years prior to our 2010 tour visit. The lake can flood to a depth of 10 m at Madigans Gulf. You’ll reach the Gulf and a sight to behold, along a 4WD road passing through the feral Dingo barrier fence. The 1974 flooding of the lake was the largest for at least 500 yrs. Geologists believe 20,000 to 50,000 yrs ago the lake was permanently full, the drying a consequence of climate change over 15,000 yrs. It takes just two years to dry up after a full inundation.

The salt crust in the centre is 5m thick solid enough to enable Donald Campbell to set his world land speed record in 1963/4 of 650 kms/hr. Day 7 Your journey this day is along the Oodnadatta Track, where the natural phenomenon of mounded springs bubbling up from desert landscape and Great Artesian Basin occurs. Discovered by the Aborigines, their songlines and trade routes followed. This led to explorer pathways, settlers and pioneers, rail and telegraph lines and the legendary 615 kms long Oodnadatta Track. There are rail siding ruins, remnant telegraph stations, hot thermal pools, heritage sites and the sense of space is profound. You’ll cross rolling gibber downs to the Dingo or Dog Fence, see weird sculptures breaking the horizon, visit the shores of Lake Eyre South and stop at the old rail siding of Curdimurka. Finally you arrive at the smallest town in SA, William Creek (Pop less than 10) a whistle stop along the Oodnadatta Track, where the gibber plains turn to crimson sand ridges separated by clay pans, outliers from the Simpson Desert.

The accommodation for the next few nights is understandably quite basic but welcoming, reflecting the challenges of isolation. William Creek sits on a shimmering saltbush flat between two red dunes, surrounded on all fronts by the greater Anna Creek Station, the largest working cattle station in the world at 6 million acres After lunch you can take an optional 2 hr scenic flight over the great Lake Eyre at your personal cost. Accommodation William Creek Hotel Day 8 Today your adventure continues along one of the loneliest roads crossing the desert, described as “occasionally maintained” having no reliable water and seeing a “bit of traffic now and then”. The local mailman completes this stretch of track twice a week, part of a one day, 600 kms postal run serving just 6 stations and two villages. You are headed for the rather quirky town of Coober Pedy, located on the erosional scarp of the Stuart Ranges, beds of sand and siltstone 30 metres deep topped by stony, treeless desert. 150 million years ago the ocean covered this region, the sea then receded, climate change then lowering the water tables.

Silica solution washed down depositing in cavities, faults and fractures, forming valuable veins of opal, leading to a multi-million dollar industry. The cosmopolitan population of underground desert dwellers boasts 45 nationalities. For an authentic experience you will stay overnight in underground comfort where room temperatures are an even 23-25C day and night, all year. The landscape is strewn with mining mullock heaps and burrows. Dedicate part of your afternoon to the town features and opal displays and with the approach of sunset we will head for the Breakaways, a colourful panorama of multi-coloured hills resembling a painted desert, the creative settings for movies, Mad Max, Thunderstorm and Ground Zero. Accommodation a genuine quality underground motel. Day 9 Today we leave Coober Pedy for some extraordinary desert driving and scenery, with first stop Arckaringa Station a lonely holding, 2,745 sq kms of dry gibber plains and breakaway country, home to red and grey kangaroos, dingoes, eagles and the bustard (wild turkey). Nearby is nature's masterpiece coloured hills known as the "Painted Desert", 80 million years ago a vast inland sea.

Top layers of the hills are defoliating to reveal rich tones of red, brown, orange, yellow and white. Our evening objective is the remote village of Oodnadatta and life centred around "The Pink Roadhouse". In the summer of '74 an eclectic group of meandering souls wandered in from the desert with camels and donkey searching for the meaning of life. Two stayed to build an enterprise on which all remote travellers now rely. In a State where 70% of the land area has no local government, The Pink Roadhouse is a legend to behold, its original owner giving the Oodnadatta track its name, one of three unsealed tracks across Australia's toughest but beautiful landscapes. Accommodation tonight very basic but comfortable cabins. Day 10 Today we follow the Oodnadatta track NW to the great Stuart Highway following the memories and exploration accounts of John McDouall Stuart, of the Ghan railways old and new, the overland telegraph line, the indigenous people’s oneness with the land contrasting with European pioneering endeavours in the face of enormous seasonal and climatic challenges.

There will be short side excursions to view the famous Gunbarrel Highway and other desert roads and a lunch break at the typical and bustling Kulgera Roadhouse, before arriving at the Desert Oaks Motel Resort for the evening. Accommodation Desert Oaks Motel. Day 11 Travelling west from Erldunda it is a relatively quick highway run to Curtin Springs Station to connect with a partnering local operator who will take us on a guided tour of this desert cattle station and the flat top Mt Conner which is older than both Uluru and Kata-Tjuta and seldom celebrated in tourism promotion. Gain an insight into local bush tucker and medicine and discover 3.5 billion year old fossils. Departing Curtin Springs you'll continue on tourist roads to the Ayers Rock Resort at Yulara. Settle in before you head for Uluru (Ayers Rock) for the traditional and spectacular viewing of the rock at sunset. Accommodation at luxury Ayers Rock Resort 2 nights Day 12 Having taken in the sunrise over Uluru and an early breakfast, you can then embark on a flat circuit walk around the base of the rock, suitably moved by its grandeur and cultural significance.

After lunch by the cultural centre head further west to the KataTjuta monoliths (The Olgas) to enjoy more walking through the Valley of the Winds, another spectacular sunset viewing and then back to the resort. You can also choose to modify the walking activity with other options. Day 13 Start the day at a leisurely pace viewing the resorts native gardens and informative displays before travelling the familiar tourist road to the next scenic icon of the centre, Kings Canyon (Watarrka) . There will be a short stop at Kings Creek Station along the way and plenty of time to settle in to your luxury units at the Kings Canyon Resort. Dinner options at the resort include the informality of a public BBQ or the resort’s a la carte dining room. An early night will prepare you for tomorrow’s memorable Rim Walk. Accommodation Kings Canyon Resort 2 nights. Day 14 The primary objective of a visit to Kings Canyon must be to complete the Rim Walk covering 7 to 8 kms in a leisurely 4 to 5 hours, allowing time to explore the inner canyon and various cliff face observation points around the rim.

The start of the walk involves a fairly steep but short climb onto the Rim after which the going is relatively easy and most spectacular. Pass through interesting formations resembling the bush beehive style huts of Africa and then move on to a series of dramatic, precipitous lookouts onto blazing coloured walls across the Canyon. Day 15 Today you leave Kings Canyon on a remote back road through Aboriginal lands, to the Hermannsburg Mission site and then Gosse Bluff where 142 million years ago a comet 600m wide blasted into the earth at hundreds of kilometres a second, exploding with a force greater than a nuclear bomb, causing world climate change and leaving a crater 20 kms wide . After lunch at the Glen Helen Resort you re-join the bitumen for a run into Alice Springs with possible short stops at select gorges, chasms, waterholes along the mighty West MacDonnell Ranges. You will surely carry vivid memories of the diverse, grand and colourful landscapes of southern and central Australia, to your journey’s end, on arrival in Alice Springs. Highlights Visit an historic winery in the picturesque Clare Valley. Discover stories behind the settler ruins of the Flinders Ranges.

Take a stroll through a Mt Remarkable gorge. Explore in detail the “bones of the earth laid bare”, Share the scenic inspiration of German artist Hans Heysen Meet fourth generational pastoralists inspired by the wild geological wonders they call home. Taste test a mixed grill of Flinders feral foods Overnight at the remote outpost of Marree, where legends of outback tracks and railways abound. Walk to the shores of Australia’s greatest salt lake and for a while into infinity. Take a scenic flight over Lake Eyre (optional additional cost) Journey across Anna Creek Station, the world’s largest cattle station of 6 million acres Spend an afternoon and night underground in the quirky opal town of Coober Pedy Journey through painted deserts, breakaways, mesas and moon plains Enjoy a genuine down to basics "whistle stop" break in the outback, at William Creek, along the Oodnadatta track. Discover bubbling artesian springs emerging from the desert depths, of mythological significance to ancient Aboriginal communities. Trace the mounded springs which determined Aboriginal pathways, the routes taken by early explorers and the Old Telegraph Line to Europe.

Enjoy memorable visits and walks around Australia’s most celebrated central icons, Uluru and Kata Tjuta (Ayers Rock and The Olgas). Savour a little resort luxury in the desert. Take a relaxed day walk around the rim of Kings Canyon, gazing deep into the blazing walls. Journey into the heart of Gosse Bluff where 142 million years ago a massive comet blasted into the earth with the force of a nuclear bomb, Follow the grand West Macdonnell Ranges the scenic backdrop to “a town like Alice” Enjoy personal connection, place and mindfulness in the desert wilds Inclusions Lake Eyre National Park | Travel Photography by Gavin John Connect Lake Eyre National Park Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park is in the Australian state of South Australia and is about 700 kilometres (435 mls) north of Adelaide. The lake was named after Edward John Eyre who, in 1840, was the first European to see it. In 2012 its name was officially changed to include the indigenous name, Kati Thanda, out of respect for the native title holders, the Arabana people, who have occupied the land for thousands of years.

It is their sacred name for the flat saltpan and means ‘the name of the lake which was formed after the skin of a kangaroo was spread over the ground’. The saltpans are up to 50 cm (20 ins) thick and became an international landmark in the 1960s when British speed racer Donald Campbell used the site to break the world land speed record, reaching 648kmh in his Bluebird racer. The lake is actually two lakes connected by a channel. It is the lowest natural point in Australia and is around 15 metres (49 ft) below sea level at its deepest point. It is the largest lake in Australia, but one that is rarely filled with water. It is in the driest region of the country, with an annual rainfall of 100 to 150 mm (4 to 6 ins), but usually some water remains in a series of sub-lakes. In the rainy season rivers flow in from Queensland but travel as far as the lake only on rare occasions. It takes about six weeks for the water to flow from its source to the lake.

Water covers the lake about once every eight years, but it has filled to capacity only three times in the last 160 years. In dry times the park encircles a desolate landscape of saltpans and waterless tracts of red desert but after rain this usually stark landscape turns green with new plant life and, as the flowers develop, comes alive with colour. When the lake is recently flooded and several metres deep the water is almost fresh and native fresh-water fish can survive in it, but as the salt dissolves, and the water evaporates, the fish die. Saturation point is reached when the water depth is around 50 cm (20 ins) and it is at this point that the lake often turns pink due to the presence of algae. When the lake is flooded it is a phenomenon that around midday the surface can become so flat and so perfectly reflective that the line between water and sky is almost impossible to distinguish. Local sailors say it is like ‘sailing in the sky’. The lake is on the list of important wetlands of Australia and is an Important Bird Area (IBA) because when it is flooded it supports major breeding events of several species of birds.

Pelicans are drawn to the lake from as far afield as Papua New Guinea. During the 1989-90 flood it was estimated that 200,000 pelicans, 80% of Australia’s total population, came to feed at Lake Eyre. South Australia & Kangaroo Island Tours - Outback Spirit Tours Outback South Australia Tour Fare (pp twin share) $6,395 Single Supplement $995 Deposit required to book $800 South Australia enjoys the distinction of being Australia's first freely settled state; perhaps that's one reason why our guests find it such a liberated, vibrant and culturally diverse place. Or maybe it's just the abundance of festivals, fine wines and stunning landscapes that give it such a carefree atmosphere. To the north of Adelaide, marvel at the grandeur of the Flinders Ranges and its centre, Wilpena Pound, a magnificent natural amphitheatre of mountains. In the centre you'll find Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre - one of the most spectacular sights in the outback. Just a stone's throw offshore lies beautiful Kangaroo Island, a sanctuary for Sea Lions and Fur Seals.

Along the coastal curves of The Great Australian Bight, you'll see stunning cliff faces that provide the perfect vantage point for spotting giant Southern Right Whales as they undertake their annual migration through the Southern Ocean. Destinations

Question: In which Australian state is Lake Eyre?
Answer: South Australia